BACKGROUND: Although seeking sexual partners on the Internet is an identified risk factor for HIV and sexually transmitted disease infection among gay men and men who have sex with men (MSM), the medical literature lacks descriptions of the development, implementation, and evaluation of interventions for reducing infections among men who seek sexual partners online. OBJECTIVES: We sought to fill this gap by describing Cyber-Based Education and Referral/Men for Men (CyBER/M4M), an intervention designed to reduce HIV exposure and transmission among gay men and MSM who use geographically defined chat rooms. METHODS: CyBER/M4M was developed by a community-university partnership that included gay men who had experience with seeking sexual partners online, and representatives from community-based organizations, the local public health department, two universities, and national organizations with expertise in community-based participatory research (CBPR) and HIV prevention. RESULTS: Two products emerged: the CyBER/M4M Training Manual, designed to facilitate training of lay health advisors known as CyBER/M4M Educators, and CyBER/M4M Resource Manual, designed as a reference for the educators. CONCLUSIONS: Further research is clearly needed, but this work provides insight into the development, implementation, and evaluation of a chat room-based HIV prevention intervention using CBPR.
BACKGROUND: Although seeking sexual partners on the Internet is an identified risk factor for HIV and sexually transmitted disease infection among gay men and men who have sex with men (MSM), the medical literature lacks descriptions of the development, implementation, and evaluation of interventions for reducing infections among men who seek sexual partners online. OBJECTIVES: We sought to fill this gap by describing Cyber-Based Education and Referral/Men for Men (CyBER/M4M), an intervention designed to reduce HIV exposure and transmission among gay men and MSM who use geographically defined chat rooms. METHODS: CyBER/M4M was developed by a community-university partnership that included gay men who had experience with seeking sexual partners online, and representatives from community-based organizations, the local public health department, two universities, and national organizations with expertise in community-based participatory research (CBPR) and HIV prevention. RESULTS: Two products emerged: the CyBER/M4M Training Manual, designed to facilitate training of lay health advisors known as CyBER/M4M Educators, and CyBER/M4M Resource Manual, designed as a reference for the educators. CONCLUSIONS: Further research is clearly needed, but this work provides insight into the development, implementation, and evaluation of a chat room-based HIV prevention intervention using CBPR.
Authors: Scott D Rhodes; Amanda E Tanner; Lilli Mann-Jackson; Jorge Alonzo; Florence M Simán; Eunyoung Y Song; Jonathan Bell; Megan B Irby; Aaron T Vissman; Robert E Aronson Journal: J Health Dispar Res Pract Date: 2018
Authors: Christopher A Cole; E Jennifer Edelman; Nicholas Boshnack; Heidi Jenkins; Wanda Richardson; Marjorie S Rosenthal Journal: Prog Community Health Partnersh Date: 2013
Authors: Scott D Rhodes; Lilli Mann-Jackson; Jorge Alonzo; Florence M Simán; Aaron T Vissman; Jennifer Nall; Claire Abraham; Robert E Aronson; Amanda E Tanner Journal: AIDS Educ Prev Date: 2017-12
Authors: Scott D Rhodes; Kenneth C Hergenrather; Robert E Aronson; Fred R Bloom; Jesus Felizzola; Mark Wolfson; Aaron T Vissman; Jorge Alonzo; Alex Boeving Allen; Jaime Montano; Jamie McGuire Journal: Cult Health Sex Date: 2010-10
Authors: Scott D Rhodes; Kenneth C Hergenrather; Jesse Duncan; Aaron T Vissman; Cindy Miller; Aimee M Wilkin; Jason Stowers; Eugenia Eng Journal: Public Health Rep Date: 2010 Jan-Feb Impact factor: 2.792